1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to locomotive instructional systems and, more particularly, to a system for providing temporary speed restrictions over locomotive cab voice radios.
2. Description of the Related Art
Energy or train management systems are computerized system used to control the operation of a train, to track events that occur during operation of the train, and to communication with central railroad systems. If an energy management system is in a disengaged mode, which may occur when an operator manually disengages the system while the train is parked, important information such as temporary speed restrictions cannot be electronically communicated to the system from a remote host. As a result, a dispatcher often has to place a call to the locomotive operator using a voice radio and then verbally relay the pertinent information. Unfortunately, operators will often forget to manually input the information into the energy management system. As a result, when the energy management system is engaged and used to operate the train, the operator display supported by the energy management may not display the correct information. For example, if an operator forgets to manually enter temporary speed restrictions provided by a dispatcher via voice radio, the operator will likely violate the temporary speed restrictions if he or she follows the unadjusted, permanent speed limits automatically displayed by the energy management system. Accordingly, there is a need for a system that can automatically provide temporary information, such as temporary speed restrictions, to a locomotive when the energy management system is disengaged, without the need to add additional antenna and related structures.